Offer Customers a Discount in Exchange for a Link?

One of the most challenging jobs for e-commerce sites is to get people to link to them. Over the years, we have posted many link building tips but we never posted about this one. Why don't e-commerce sites offer a promotion to customers to get a percentage off their order, if they write a blog post or link to their site.

In fact, I have seen this offered on several sites throughout the year. Personally, I never took advantage of the offer, which honestly surprises me. I blog a heck of a lot, not just on search engines, but on anything, and I never took advantage of the offer. In any event, some sites do this and have been doing it for years.

An excellent HighRankings Forum thread asks if offering this type of discount, in exchange for a link, would be considered link buying and thus against Google's terms of service?

Moderator, Bob Gladstein said that it doesn't make sense to make the offer to everyone and anyone. You don't want links from an electronic store if you site sells shoes. Or do you?

Moderator, Randy said he sees it a lot and when he sees it, he loses respect for that site and will never do business with them again. Wow, strong words, let me quote him:

It's caused me to lose respect and trust for those who offered me such Discount For Link deals. Not only have I never taken any of them up on the deal, as a general rule I never do business with them again. Not because the original thing I ordered wasn't in good condition or that I've had any problem with my original order. But because I've lost respect for them. They're offer has caused me to lose trust and good will that they'd already built with me that caused me to order from them the first time.

Jill Whalen, owner of HighRankings, disagrees with both Bob and Randy, she said "I think it's a great idea."

Honestly, I think the best bet is to write the post after you get the product and then they give you a discount on the next order or give you a credit on your previous purchase. This way you can give an honest review of the product you bought and discuss the customer service and if you liked it or not.

Technically, a discount on a purchase is money and it may be seen as "link buying," but it is a stretch, in my opinion.

Do you think offering a discount in exchange for a link is considered link buying? Take our poll: